


suddenly life seems so clear

by punkmermaids



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 10:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkmermaids/pseuds/punkmermaids
Summary: When Cass decided to climb a tower in the middle of the woods, she never could have guessed what—and who—it would lead her to.





	suddenly life seems so clear

**Author's Note:**

> for cassunzel week on tumblr! (find me @ cassrapunzels)

“Come on, Max,” Cass urges. “Just a little farther and we’ll go back.”

Max huffs, but picks up a quick trot nonetheless.

Once they find a decently sized clearing, she dismounts and kneels, pressing her hand against the ground. It isn’t too soft or too hard, so she pulls the sword from her back and produces another from the scabbard on her saddle. She holds it out to Max temptingly. “What do you say about a quick sparring match before we leave?” He hesitates. “I said _quick_. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

His competitive nature overcomes and he eagerly grabs the sword between his teeth. He jumps into stance, ears perked in excitement.

Just as Cassandra is about to swing her blade, she hears the distant thud of hooves on the soft forest floor and freezes. “Shit!” The guards weren’t supposed to ride this route for another two hours. If they see her, they’ll drag her back to her father and she’ll have to listen to him scold her like a child. She searches frantically for somewhere big enough to hide an entire _horse_ and spots a strip of sunlight barely visible between a curtain of vines. She brushes them aside and then pulls Max in behind her. He looks at her with clear disapproval. “Oh, get over it.”

She waits for the horses to pass and sighs in relief. Once the coast is clear, she’s about to leave when she glances back and sees the tower—beautiful and massive, covered in crawling vines. It looks old, like it’s been standing here alone and untouched in this glade for years and years. She can’t help but wander closer, Max on her heels.

She reaches the base and stares up the wall, running her hand over the stone. “Why is this here?” she wonders aloud. Mostly just to see if she can, she finds a handhold and begins to climb. Max whinnies nervously. Cass glances down at him and rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you aren’t curious, too.”

He just glares and she waves her hand dismissively before continuing her ascent. One rock crumbles when she grabs it, but she manages to get a hold on another before she can fall. Again, Max makes an anxious, high pitched noise.

She makes it to the window with no further incident and pulls herself through, glancing around the dim room and taking in the whimsical murals covering the walls. It’s amazing that—

_CLANG!_

The first thing that crosses Cass's mind when she opens her eyes is, “Ow.” She tries to rub the sore spot on the back of her head only to realize she’s been restrained, tied to a chair by… hair? That’s when she notices the yards and yards of shiny golden hair trailing into the shadows. She tests her restraints, trying to free her hands, but they’re tied too tightly.

“What the…”

A voice speaks from the darkness above her, a bit uncertain. “Struggling… struggling is pointless!” A fairly small figure jumps down, still shrouded in the dark. “I know why you’re here,” says the girl, voice wavering, “and I’m not afraid of you.”

When she emerges from the shadows, Cassandra blinks a few times, vaguely wondering if she’s dreaming.

The first thing she notices is the girl’s ridiculously long hair. The second thing she notices is how beautiful she is, with her eyes the color of jade and the cute smattering of freckles across her nose. There’s something oddly familiar about her face, like Cassandra has seen her somewhere before. That’s impossible, though, because Cass would certainly remember meeting someone who looks like her.

“Who are you and how did you find me?”

“ _Find_ you? What are you talking about?”

The girl’s eyes narrow, like she’s trying to decide whether or not to trust her confusion. “Who are you?” she repeats, raising her frying pan threateningly.

“My name is Cassandra. I’m from Corona. I was just—”

“So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it? Sell it?” As she speaks, the girl circles the chair, still gripping her frying pan tight.

Now Cass is really lost. “Your _hair_ ? Why would I want your _hair_?”

The girl pauses. “Wait, you… you don’t want my hair?” She looks as confused as Cass is.

“No! I have no idea who you are.”

“You’re… telling the truth?”

“Of course I am! Look, just untie me and I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”

The girl looks at her with apprehension and her chameleon glares suspiciously. Then, she turns her back to Cass and begins a whispered conversation with the lizard. After a moment’s contemplation, she faces Cass again. “Alright, Cassandra. I’m prepared to offer you a deal.”

“A _deal_?” asks Cassandra, exasperated.

The girl ignores her. “Look this way.” She spins Cass to face a mural on the wall—a painting of the girl sitting atop a tree, hair flowing behind her as she gazes up at yellow lights in the night sky. “Do you know what these are?” 

Cass squints. “The lanterns, you mean? They do it every year for the lost princess.”

She runs a hand over the painting, tracing the lights. “Lanterns! I knew they weren’t stars.” She straightens up. “You said you’re from Corona. Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these _lanterns_. You will act as my guide, take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely.”

Cassandra’s brow furrows. “Why do you want to see the lanterns so bad anyway?”

“They show up every year on my birthday and… I just can’t help but feel like they’re calling to me.” She gazes at the mural wistfully, longing in her eyes. 

Wheels start turning in Cassandra’s head. “Your birthday?”

“Yes, tomorrow. Which is why I need _you_ to take me there, Cassandra.”

Suddenly, something clicks. “Wait, what’s your name?”

The girl looks at her with narrowed eyes before finally conceding. “Rapunzel,” she says and Cass’s head feels like it’s going to explode.

There’s no way. Not a single chance in hell. Cass has never been a particularly lucky person—it’s not that she’s _un_ lucky, it’s just that the world never seems to go out of its way to do her a favor. It’s cursed her with a life of mediocrity and irrelevance. Until now.

Maybe. Or maybe there’s more than one green-eyed, golden-haired girl born the same day as the lost princess who just happens to also be named Rapunzel. She can’t imagine it’s true, but it would be perfectly in line with the way her life has been going so far.

_No_ , she thinks. _I can’t believe that. It’s her. It has to be._

This is her chance. If anything could prove to her dad that she has what it takes, it’s returning the lost princess. “Yeah,” Cass says. “Yes, I’ll escort you to the lights.

Rapunzel opens her mouth to argue and then pauses. “Really?”

“Really.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I promise. And when I make a promise, I _never_ break it.”

That actually makes Rapunzel smile and it lights up the whole room. “Me neither. Promises mean a lot to me, too. I never break them. _Ever_.” She frees Cass and then sticks out her hand. Cass shakes her hand and offers a small smile in return. “It’s so nice to meet you!” Rapunzel says brightly. Then, her smile drops and she points her frying pan at Cass like it’s a sword and tells her, “You try anything funny, and I _will_ pan you.”

“Understood,” Cass affirms, trying not to laugh. The determined little scowl on Rapunzel’s face is cute, like seeing a kitten all puffed up and hissing.

-

Cass starts down the tower and looks up at Rapunzel, who is standing on the edge of the window, staring down. “What are you waiting for?” Cass calls. From below, she hears Max whinny.

Then, Rapunzel throws her hair over the edge, grabs onto it, and leaps. She’s still hanging there when Cass’s feet hit the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I’ve never walked on grass before,” Rapunzel admits.

_Never?_ Has she really not left this tower once in the last eighteen years? “I’m sure you’ll do great,” Cass assures her.

Cautiously, like she’s expecting it to burn her, Rapunzel lowers herself until her bare feet finally touch the grass. Immediately, she grins, wiggling her toes. Then she starts laughing and drops to the ground, running her hands over the green grass. The wind sweeps the seeds from a dandelion and she watches, wide-eyed and amazed, as they float through the air, standing to chase them until they’re too high to reach.

Cass smiles—there’s something about Rapunzel’s joy that is raw and contagious. She looks over at Max and he looks back, frowning in confusion. She shrugs.

When she turns her head back, Rapunzel has disappeared. Frantically, she spins around, only to find her sprinting for the passage out of the glade, hair flying behind her. “Hey!” Cass calls, already chasing after her. “Rapunzel, wait up!”

When Cass finally catches up to her, Rapunzel is staring up at the trees, wonderstruck. She catches Cass’s eye and beams at her. “I can’t believe I did this!” she exclaims, jumping up and down in excitement. Then, she pauses and her face starts to fall. “I can’t believe I did this.” The smile returns and she spins around in a circle. “I can’t believe I did this!” The smile disappears again. “Mother would be so furious.”

“You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?” _Please don’t be having second thoughts._

“No.” Her voice wavers when she says it. She steadies herself and repeats, with conviction, “ _No_. I’m going to do this. I have to.”

Cass is about to reply when Max trots up to them and nudges Rapunzel’s shoulder with his nose. “Oh, look at you!” she exclaims, reaching up to scratch him behind the ear.

“Oh, right. Rapunzel, Maximus. Max, Rapunzel.”

“Hello, Maximus,” she coos. “You’re so handsome, aren’t you?” Max whinnies and puffs out his chest proudly. “You’re such a good boy, yes, you are.”

Cass sighs. The last thing Max needs is an even bigger head. “Alright, come on. Let’s get a move on.”

“Oh, right!” Rapunzel gives Max one more quick pat on the shoulder. “Lead the way, Cassandra.”

“Cass,” she corrects. “You can call me Cass.”

That makes Rapunzel smile. “Alright, _Cass_. Lead the way.”

-

Cass can’t help the smile on her face as she watches Rapunzel flit between trees as she chases a butterfly and tiptoe through streams, watching the water ripple with every step. That wide-eyed wonder is more charming than Cass is comfortable admitting.

Of course, she can’t fault her for it. It must be terribly overwhelming to experience everything for the first time, all at once like this—especially for someone like Rapunzel, who sees so much beauty in everything. It’s only natural to want to take it all in.

It’s sort of amazing, actually. What would it be like, Cass wonders, to experience the world the way Rapunzel is, with fresh eyes and her heart on her sleeve? 

She feels a sharp pang of guilt over her secrecy. Should she just tell her and let it be done, consequences be damned? Part of her wants to, but there’s another part clinging to fear so tight that she can’t pry it away. _Ugh_.

Suddenly, Rapunzel shrieks, breaking her from her reverie, and Cass goes running, one hand already on the hilt of her sword when she realizes Rapunzel is crouched down next to a fluffy rabbit, cooing at it. When she meets Cass’s eyes, she grins. “It’s so cute!”

Cass sighs heavily and takes her hand off the sword.

-

From above them, Cass hears Owl hoot twice and immediately pulls Rapunzel back behind a rock, just before a patrol walks past. Once they’re out of sight, Cass breathes a sigh of relief.

Rapunzel turns to her, impressed. “Wow! How did you know they were there?”

“I’ve got eyes in the sky.” Cass whistles and Owl swoops down from above to perch on her arm, looking at Rapunzel with a tilted head.

“Oh!” Rapunzel exclaims. “You have your own owl? That is amazing! What’s his name?”

“Owl,” Cass says, as if it should be obvious.

Rapunzel reaches up to stroke Owl under the chin. He chirps and rubs his head against her hand. She laughs, the sound soft and melodic.

Cass finds it oddly comforting that she isn’t the only one immediately taken in by Rapunzel’s charm.

“Let’s keep moving, Raps. Just a bit further and we’ll find somewhere to camp for the night.”

“Raps,” Rapunzel repeats, like she’s testing out the nickname. Then she smiles brightly. “I like it.”

-

Eventually, they find a clearing to spend the night in and Cass goes out in search of firewood, leaving Max to look out for Rapunzel. If she can trust anyone to be as dedicated to Corona as she is, it’s him.

On her way back, Cass’s foot catches on the root of a tree and she barely manages to catch herself on its trunk, the heel of her hand scraping painfully against the bark. She can’t see it very well in the dark, but she can feel the blood on her palm. “Damn it.” She can’t quite decide if today is the luckiest or unluckiest day of her life.

Once she’s gotten a fire going, Cass finds her canteen and pours water onto the scrape, breath hissing out between clenched teeth as she gently pats it dry.

“Are you hurt?” Rapunzel asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

“It’s just a scratch,” Cass assures.

Rapunzel scoots closer to her and hesitates a moment before she says, “Give me your hand.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Cass complies, despite her misgivings, and eyes Rapunzel with uncertainty as she begins to wrap her hair around the cut on Cass’s palm.

Rapunzel gives her a nervous glance before she begins to sing, voice soft and melodic. “ _Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine._ ” That long golden hair begins to _glow_ , bright yellow like the sun, starting at the roots and spreading until it reaches the part that’s wrapped around Cass’s hand. “ _Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate’s design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine... what once was mine_.” Once she’s done, Rapunzel looks back up at her, nervously chewing her bottom lip, and unwinds her hair.

Cass’s jaw drops when she sees her unmarred skin, not even the tiniest hint of the cut. “What the…”

Rapunzel tugs on her hair and watches Cass’s face nervously. “Are you freaking out?”

“No! Not at all. Just, uh, how… how does it… do that?”

“Honestly, I… don’t really know. It’s been this way my whole life.”

_The flower_ , Cass realizes. That has to be it. The magic flower that saved the queen must have also given Rapunzel her hair.

Oh, she wants to tell her so badly—it’s been gnawing away at her stomach for hours—but how do you tell someone something like this? _Hey, by the way, you’re the lost princess. Surprise!_ Yeah, she’s sure _that_ would go over well.

Would Rapunzel even believe her if she did say something? It’s hard to imagine her reaction being a positive one. After all, Cass promised she could trust her, yet here she is, lying by omission.

_I’m a horrible person_ , she decides.

-

“We’ll get there faster if we ride,” Cass suggests.

Rapunzel lights up at that. “I’ve never ridden a horse before! Oh, this is so exciting!”

Her enthusiasm makes Cass smile. “It’s not too hard,” Cass assures as she mounts. “I’ll help you up.” She holds out her hand and Rapunzel takes it, swinging up behind Cass. Her hands immediately grasp at Cass’s waist, which makes her stomach flip and her mind go fuzzy. Cass clears her throat, trying to push the feeling from her mind. “You… you’ll probably want to hold on tighter than that. It’s a bit of a bumpy ride.”

Rapunzel scoots right up behind Cass until she’s pressed flush against her back and winds her arms around her waist, cheek pressed against Cass’s shoulder. “Is this okay?”

“Yup!” Cass squeaks out, her voice cracking a bit. Max looks back at her with a knowing look and she mouths, _Shut up_. “Alright, Max, let’s go.”

When he picks up a trot, Rapunzel’s grip tightens and Cass swears she feels her heart skip a beat. 

-

The festival is in full swing by the time they arrive. The streets are packed with people, talking and singing and dancing. Children dart through the crowd, chasing each other and laughing.

Rapunzel stares with awe, taking it all in. A smile dawns on her face and she looks over at Cass with bright eyes, so full of joy and life. _This is all for you_ , Cass wants to tell her. _Every banner, every flag, every song. It’s all for you._

Instead, she takes Rapunzel’s hand and leads her into the city. Only a few seconds after they enter, Rapunzel yelps and pulls her hair from beneath someone’s shoe, trying to collect it all in her arms. Max helps, trailing behind her to pick up the rest. Cass looks around for some kind of solution, but by the time she turns back around, she finds Rapunzel is a step ahead of her, sitting with her legs crossed beneath her, patiently waiting while four little girls dance around her, delighted by her yards and yards of golden hair. By the time they finish, it’s been compacted into a thick, elaborate braid decorated by wildflowers that just barely brushes Rapunzel’s ankles. She twirls around, her skirts swishing around her, and Cass can’t drag her eyes away from the smile on her face.

Rapunzel bounds up to her, nearly buzzing in excitement, and grabs her by the hand. “Come on!” she exclaims. “There’s so much to see!”

Cass laughs as Rapunzel tugs her down the street, pausing at every vendor along the way and picking up trinkets as they go—a flag here, a flower there. It’s kind of cute, if Cass is being honest.

She digs through her pocket to produce enough money to buy Rapunzel a blackberry roll from Monty and grins at the look on her face after that first bite.

“Oh, this is amazing! Is all the food here this good?”

“I don’t know about _all_ , but I’m sure it’s better than whatever you had in the tower.”

Rapunzel takes another bite and nods. “Definitely better,” she says.

“Oh, you have… here, stay still.” Cass reaches up to tenderly brush a crumb from the corner of Rapunzel’s mouth. “There.”

Rapunzel’s cheeks flush a pretty pink and she tucks her hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”

-

The square is alive, full of music and laughter, and Cass isn’t the least bit surprised when Rapunzel begins to dance, spinning out into the middle of the crowd, her smile as bright as the sun.

Cass watches her twirl around in the street without a care in the world, pulling people from the crowd with her. She gestures Cass over, but Cass shakes her head and waves her on, a fond smile tugging at her lips. If there’s one thing Cass doesn’t do, it’s dance, but she thinks she could watch Rapunzel do it all day.

It’s strange, looking at someone else and feeling like everything in the world is right and good. Cass has spent so many years building her walls, isolating herself, convinced that it would be better that way—that it would be easier not to care at all. If she didn’t care, she could throw herself into her training, focus on herself and her passion. And it seemed worth it, for a long time. She spent every spare minute of every day fighting tooth and nail for every inch of progress she made—there was never time to worry about anything else.

But now… She doesn’t know what’s happening to her. It’s like Rapunzel’s warmth is chipping away at those walls, a little at a time, and Cass is so taken by her that she can’t even be bothered to mend them.

The song starts to swell and, as Rapunzel spins past her, she grabs Cass by the hand and pulls her into the crowd before she has a chance to protest. Rapunzel grins at her, a playful twinkle in her eyes, and there’s not much Cass can do but to follow along, trying to keep up with Rapunzel’s graceful movements. Fortunately, she seems unbothered by Cass’s lack of elegance and simply spins her around, giggling when Cass stumbles.

Everything else begins to fade away—the people, the music, the buildings—until it’s just the two of them dancing in the warm glow of the evening sun. _You’re beautiful_ , Cass thinks as she loses herself in that look on Rapunzel’s face and falls into those green eyes, so far that she doesn’t even realize the song has ended until she and Rapunzel are standing face-to-face in the middle of the square, both breathless and pink-cheeked.

Rapunzel beams up at her, bright as the sun and, oh, how Cass wants to kiss her in that moment. But instead, she clears her throat and steps back, feeling uncharacteristically bashful.

Fortunately, she’s saved by one of the guards hollering, “To the boats!”

Just then, a thought pops into her head and Cass grins. “I have an idea.” She grabs Rapunzel by the wrist and tugs her towards the castle.

“Wait, what are you doing?”

“Getting you the best seat in the house. Come on.”

-

“Are you sure you’re allowed to do this?” asks Rapunzel, nervously tugging on her hair as they quietly slip around a corner and up a staircase.

“Definitely not. But there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules every once in a while, Raps. Now, come on, it’s not much farther.”

The staircase leads up to the roof. Rapunzel’s eyes widen as she gazes down over the side at the city below, glowing in the night.

“Wow,” she says, awed.

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. We’ve still got some climbing to do.”

“Wait, you don’t mean…”

“We’re watching those lanterns from the top of that tower,” Cass gestures to the wall to her left. “Unless you’re too scared.”

“I am _so_ not scared.”

“If you say so,” Cass says in a sing-song voice, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

“I’ll prove it! Race you to the top!” Rapunzel throws her hair and it wraps around the point of the tower. Grinning, she grabs on and starts to climb, casting Cass a playful look.

“That’s cheating!” Cass exclaims before she starts up the wall herself.

“What was it you said? I think it was, ‘There’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules every once in a while.’ Right?”

Cass can’t help but laugh before she concedes, “Alright, you got me there. It’s still cheating, though!”

By the time Cass is halfway up, Rapunzel is carefully crawling onto the tower’s roof. She disappears from sight and then she lets her hair down for Cass.

Rapunzel peers over the edge of the roof.  “Grab on!”

Cassandra dismisses her. “I don’t need any help, thank you very much.”

“Cass, _please_. I don’t want you to miss the lanterns.” Rapunzel looks down at her with a tiny pout and Cass immediately caves. She sighs and grabs onto the hair. 

The bright smile Rapunzel gives her is more than worth that little blow to her ego.

When she gets to the top, Rapunzel insists on helping her up and Cass lets her because she’s finding that there’s very little she wouldn’t do for this girl.

“Come on, come on!” Rapunzel exclaims. She grabs Cass by the wrist and pulls her to the edge of the roof. From up here, they overlook the entire kingdom, beautiful and sprawling, glowing soft yellow against the night sky. People move through the streets, so tiny they look like ants scurrying around. Rapunzel stares out at it all, her face caught between awe and nervousness.

“What’s wrong?” Cass asks, nudging her with her elbow.

Rapunzel sighs and takes a seat, legs hanging over the edge, and Cass follows suit. “What if… what if, after all those years staring out a window and dreaming of the lights, it isn’t everything I’ve imagined?”

Cass shakes her head. “It’ll be better.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” She smiles, her eyes soft, and lays her hand over Rapunzel’s. “Trust me.”

“I do,” Rapunzel replies without a moment’s hesitation. She takes hold of Cass’s hand and laces their fingers together before she melts into Cass’s side, her head tilting to rest on Cass’s shoulder.

Cass feels her face heat up and opens her mouth to reply, but before she can speak, Rapunzel sits up to gasp and point down at the King and Queen’s lantern, all alone in the sky. Soon, the entire square is lit up and the first lantern is joined by hundreds of others.

Rather than drift to the bright lights floating through the night sky, Cass’s eyes wander to Rapunzel. The lanterns are pretty and all, but Cass has seen them a million times and, besides, the girl sitting beside her is far more beautiful than any lantern.

One floats up to them, decorated with the clumsy drawings of a child, and Rapunzel reaches out with her free hand to gently push it upward, watching with a sort of wonder as it slowly ascends. Then, more appear, hanging in the air around them as Rapunzel looks around excitedly. She turns to grin at Cass and the warm light of the lanterns casts her in a hazy golden glow that takes Cass’s breath away. She wonders if this is how Rapunzel feels, surrounded by the lights she’s been dreaming of her whole life.

Rapunzel reaches out to take her hands, giving them both a gentle squeeze. “Thank you so much, Cassandra. For everything. I… I would never be here if it weren’t for you.”

_This is the moment_ , Cass thinks. _I have to tell her_. It’s been slowly eating away at Cass since they left the tower, but how do you tell someone she’s a lost princess? And what if she’s angry with Cass for keeping it from her? Or she thinks that it’s the only reason she did it? And, admittedly, that _was_ how it started, but it isn’t like that anymore. It hasn’t been since maybe five minutes after they left the tower.

But, instead, Cassandra smiles back and says, “It’s not a big deal, Raps, really.”

“It is, though. If you hadn’t climbed the tower, I would never have left. But… you did and now we’re here. So, thank you.”

_I’m a horrible person_ , Cass thinks again.

-

Once the last lantern has faded into the night, they climb back down the tower, the pit in Cass’s stomach growing with each step. _Now or never_ , she thinks. “Raps, I… I have to tell you something. I’ve wanted to tell you since we left the tower, but I didn’t want… I don’t know.” She rubs a hand over her face, grasping for words that she can’t quite find.

“Cass, what’s wrong?”

“I… you know how I told you the lanterns were for the lost princess?” Rapunzel nods. “She was taken as a baby, so the King and Queen release the lanterns every year on her birthday. On… _your_ birthday.”

Rapunzel tilts her head, looking lost. “I don’t understand.”

Cass takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and then she just says it. “Rapunzel, _you’re_ the lost princess.”

Still, Rapunzel looks blank. “What are you talking about?”

“Eighteen years ago today, the princess was born. That’s you, Rapunzel.”

“No. No, that’s crazy.”

“Just think about it, Raps. Why else would Gothel lock you in that tower?”

“She was trying to—”

“Protect you? Come on, Rapunzel. You’re smarter than that. She did it because she was _using_ you. She didn’t want anyone to find you and bring you home.”

Cass can almost see the switch flip in Rapunzel’s mind and her stomach sinks. “Wait. Is that why you agreed to bring me here? Because I’m the lost princess?”

“No—I mean, yes, at first maybe, but not anymore! Rapunzel, trust me, I—”

“Trust you? You lied to me,” Rapunzel accuses, tears beginning to well in her eyes, and it makes Cass like she’s been punched in the gut.

“No, Raps, just listen—”

“Why should I listen to anything you say? This whole time I thought—” Her voice breaks and she has to clear her throat. “It doesn’t matter what I thought.” A single tear finally spills over and she casts Cass one more hurt look before she takes off towards the woods.

“Rapunzel, wait!” Cass cries. She chases after her, but she’s already disappeared into the darkness. Anxiety begins to gnaw at Cass’s stomach. It’s not safe in the woods, especially at night. What if she gets hurt, all because Cass didn’t tell her the truth until too late?

She cups her hands around her mouth. “Rapunzel!” she hollers. “Rapunzel, where are you? I’m sorry!” There’s no response. “Damn it,” she mutters to herself. “Damn it, damn it, damn it.” Not only has she lost the lost princess, but she’s lost _Rapunzel_ and that’s somehow a hundred times worse. If anything happens to her...

“Rapunzel, stop fighting me!” snaps a voice Cass doesn’t recognize.

“No! I won’t stop!” The sound of Rapunzel’s voice sends Cass into a panicked sprint. “For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I’ll never stop trying to get away from you!” 

She spots her through the trees, on her knees with her hands cuffed behind her back, and Cass pushes through the brush into a clearing. Rapunzel is struggling against the chain, held by a woman Cass can only assume to be Rapunzel’s ‘mother’.

“Raps!” she shouts, a momentary distraction that gives Rapunzel a split-second to pull the chain from Gothel’s hands and take off running towards Cass.

But her hair catches as she leaps over a log and she cries out when she’s yanked backwards. She tugs at it with no avail, so Cass springs into action, grabbing the sword from her back and, without a second thought, slicing right through the braid. Rapunzel gasps and her hands fly to her head, running through her hair which immediately begins to turn brown.

“NO!” shrieks Gothel. She tries to gather the cut hair in her arms as she begins to waste away before Cass’s eyes. She stumbles backward, letting out a shrill howl, and she dissolves into dust the moment she hits the ground.

Cass just stands there, chest heaving, until the sword finally falls from her hands and her shoulders slump. She looks over at Rapunzel and finds her staring down at the yards of dark hair with wide eyes, her hands still grasping at her head.

“Raps?” Cass asks, cautiously stepping towards her. “Are you… alright?” She knows it’s a stupid question, but it’s all she’s got.

Rapunzel meets Cass’s eyes and, for a moment, she’s unreadable. Then, her face falls and Cass pulls her into a hug. Cass can’t imagine what must be going on inside her head right now, so she just holds Rapunzel tight and runs a comforting hand over her new short hair.

They stand like that for who knows how long before Rapunzel finally speaks, her voice thick. “Thank you, Cass. For saving my life and also… everything else. I still wish you hadn’t lied to me, but I should never have run off like that.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I also wish I hadn’t lied to you,” Cass offers with a tiny, crooked smile. “I’m sorry.”

Rapunzel breaks the hug to take Cass’s hands in her own, still standing close enough that if Cass leaned forward just a bit, their lips would touch. “It’s okay.” The way her pretty green eyes gleam in the moonlight is impossible to look away from.

“No, it’s—I’m really, really sorry. I should’ve told you the truth from the beginning. I was just… scared, I guess. It was stupid.”

“Cass,” says Rapunzel, so warm and fond that it makes Cass’s chest ache, “you are the bravest person I’ve ever met.”

“And how many people have you met, exactly?” Cass teases.

“Oh, hardy har,” Rapunzel says, ducking her head to hide her smile before meeting Cass’s eyes once more. “I’m serious. I think you’re… amazing. Strong and fearless and so, so smart. I’m… meeting you has been…” She pauses, grasping for the words.

“Raps…”

“No, just let me…” She purses her lips in contemplation before she finally stretches up to bridge the gap between them. Her soft lips brush against Cass’s, just the lightest of touches, and the butterflies in Cass’s stomach begin to swarm, in disbelief and exhilaration.

Cass is sure she must be dreaming because things like this— _good_ things, like saving the day and getting the girl—don’t happen to her, but it feels so real and without another thought, she leans in to deepen the kiss, reaching up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. Her open palm settles on Rapunzel’s cheek, cradling her face.

It’s over too fast. Rapunzel breaks the kiss and looks up at Cass, her gaze soft and uncertain. “Sorry,” she breathes, barely more than a whisper.

“Don’t be,” Cass tells her, smiling like a love-struck idiot. She kisses her again and all is right with the world.


End file.
